An absolutely gorgeous essay--thank you! I think about this idea often--that a certain amount of goodness in the world is enough to keep the balance. It keeps me hopeful! And I love the idea of nodes--I suspect there are far more than 36, but we'll never know, right? ;)
I am so late getting to this, but so grateful for having read it this morning of all mornings. Time has vibrations, too, it seems; there are liminal reasons for my tardiness. Your post resonates, and is a benediction on the day to come. Deep, deep thanks.
Thanks so much for your guiding thoughts, Carrie. It really helps to have a larger view that might help us to deal with the distractions so close to us, and also appreciate how many things are happening close-by if we only observe at a different level or with a different focus. I recently spent a good number of hours "lost in the woods", as part of the system for training Search-And-Rescue dogs and handlers (near Seattle). While staying quiet and still, (to better facilitate teaching the dogs how to better use and follow their noses to follow the "air-scent"), I had time to observe the immense world (a good book, as previously noted) of industrious insects, arachnids, birds, (and a few dogs) among the forest trees and ferns, each going about a complex life of growth and survival. I see us as pack animals, who do better when surrounded by others who can help share the load, who can come together to find the lost child who wandered too far away from the camp in the woods. There are many good people who are willing to spend a day or night to find that stranger, and bring them back to a welcoming fire and friends.
Thank you for this beautiful writing and for the meditation. You got me to thinking and remembering about the idea of webs. When I taught middle school, my students and I would do an 'understanding web.' We would sit in a circle on the carpet with a ball of yarn. The person holding the yarn would say one thing about the piece of literature we were reading in class then toss the ball of yarn across the circle to the next person who would say something that they learned or liked from the piece. This would continue until we had created a web of thoughts, ideas about and understandings of the story. It was ok for a student to say that that they didn't understand the story or had nothing to say at that point. When we were done, we noticed that if someone let go of their part of the web, it would start to collapse, realizing that it was something we created together and that it relied on all of our ideas. The students really loved doing this culminating activity and it was some of the best times we had as a class.
Oh Teresa, I loooooove the "understanding web"- illustrating the threads that come from each one of us and what we create together as well as the importance of staying in relationship to the web. I'll be thinking about and passing along this beautiful practice.
What a lovely and useful image "nodes" is. Somehow, I think of them as small, like the jewels of water on the spiders' webs. Thank you.
I often visit an Adirondack marsh early in the mornings. Just after sunrise the vegetation and trees are decorated with hundreds of umbrella spider webs. I am always amazed and delighted.
Also everyday, the morning light reveals single strands of spiders' work across the trails, tree to tree maybe five yards apart. That's where this poem came from. I hope it makes someone smile.
Oh my goodness! I love all of this. And we watched the Last Airbender with our 20 something daughters. Once we got over the parts that are clearly for middle school boys in the early episodes, we absolutely loved it. I was so sad when we watched the last episode. I could have happily watched 10 more seasons.
I love the idea of the 36. I’m fairly sure I’ve met a few of them, and they came in all shapes and sizes, a front-desk clerk at the Denver Marriott Southeast, a fellow special needs mom in Philly, a Ukrainian housekeeper in her 30’s. I believe we are blessed by others in so many ways, though often we’re unaware.
So good and so true. I love the hidden beauty of this world. It is so much easier to see in nature and feels like it takes so much more work to see in other people. But the hard work is worth it.
These words today are so encouraging. I am part of a small coalition here in West Virginia that attempts to steer our Legislature away from harmful legislation. The Legislative session ended last night after a long 60 days. Thankfully, some of that harmful legislation did not pass though the possibility was there until midnight last night. These 60 days have been a time of encouragement and utter discouragement. I am moved to tears to think about the hidden goodness around us and the threads that connect us. The world feels a little brighter today.
Thank you for your faithful work in West Virginia. I know it can be so discouraging at the moment. I also live in a state with a super majority in the state legislature in which the most extreme voices have a lot of power to make unfair laws and policies. It takes the people of the state doing exactly what your coalition is doing, clearly and faithfully making our voices known and heard. And the more our voices are heard, the more join the coalition for a more fair and just system. Hang in there, you and your colleagues matter, your voices matter, your witness matters. All we need is nodes.
An absolutely gorgeous essay--thank you! I think about this idea often--that a certain amount of goodness in the world is enough to keep the balance. It keeps me hopeful! And I love the idea of nodes--I suspect there are far more than 36, but we'll never know, right? ;)
Thank you for these free posts. You are a glowing node—illuminating many souls through your songs and writings. Thank you! 🥰❤️
I am so late getting to this, but so grateful for having read it this morning of all mornings. Time has vibrations, too, it seems; there are liminal reasons for my tardiness. Your post resonates, and is a benediction on the day to come. Deep, deep thanks.
Thanks so much for your guiding thoughts, Carrie. It really helps to have a larger view that might help us to deal with the distractions so close to us, and also appreciate how many things are happening close-by if we only observe at a different level or with a different focus. I recently spent a good number of hours "lost in the woods", as part of the system for training Search-And-Rescue dogs and handlers (near Seattle). While staying quiet and still, (to better facilitate teaching the dogs how to better use and follow their noses to follow the "air-scent"), I had time to observe the immense world (a good book, as previously noted) of industrious insects, arachnids, birds, (and a few dogs) among the forest trees and ferns, each going about a complex life of growth and survival. I see us as pack animals, who do better when surrounded by others who can help share the load, who can come together to find the lost child who wandered too far away from the camp in the woods. There are many good people who are willing to spend a day or night to find that stranger, and bring them back to a welcoming fire and friends.
Thank you for this beautiful writing and for the meditation. You got me to thinking and remembering about the idea of webs. When I taught middle school, my students and I would do an 'understanding web.' We would sit in a circle on the carpet with a ball of yarn. The person holding the yarn would say one thing about the piece of literature we were reading in class then toss the ball of yarn across the circle to the next person who would say something that they learned or liked from the piece. This would continue until we had created a web of thoughts, ideas about and understandings of the story. It was ok for a student to say that that they didn't understand the story or had nothing to say at that point. When we were done, we noticed that if someone let go of their part of the web, it would start to collapse, realizing that it was something we created together and that it relied on all of our ideas. The students really loved doing this culminating activity and it was some of the best times we had as a class.
Oh Teresa, I loooooove the "understanding web"- illustrating the threads that come from each one of us and what we create together as well as the importance of staying in relationship to the web. I'll be thinking about and passing along this beautiful practice.
I am a node.
In a room full of men and women doing their best to get well, by working a twelve-step program.
Some are more sober and some are less sober but we are all where we need to be today.
Today is the day.
I have a growing faith and a lot of hope to continue trudging this path of happy destiny.
To be known by many recovering people makes me into a node. A known node.
I do my best to sparkle and vibrate when it is needed.
Come visit me:
https://jeffastle.substack.com/publish/home
Dear Carrie and Friends,
What a lovely and useful image "nodes" is. Somehow, I think of them as small, like the jewels of water on the spiders' webs. Thank you.
I often visit an Adirondack marsh early in the mornings. Just after sunrise the vegetation and trees are decorated with hundreds of umbrella spider webs. I am always amazed and delighted.
Also everyday, the morning light reveals single strands of spiders' work across the trails, tree to tree maybe five yards apart. That's where this poem came from. I hope it makes someone smile.
Tarzan
As summer ends the spiders spin
the early morning mist
As cover for their multitude of troops
who bravely leave the lists
So silently, so silently they spin
their webs obscure
And leave their trappings everywhere
in hopes they will endure;
Thus when at last their works are done
and the mist does roll away
We see their silver webbing hung
with dewdrops in the day
Between the tiny grasses and
among the flower stems
Around the weeds of summer and
from the branches hands
Then high above the beaten trail
the grandest strand I see
Some Tarzan aping spider
has swung from tree to tree,
So when the morning mist surrounds
your dwelling after dawn
Prepare to see their splendor
when that blanket is withdrawn
And if some cry does chill your soul
from high up in a tree
Beware the Tarzan spider
for who knows where he’ll be.
Thank you for posting Phil! I love the images from the adirondack marsh.
Thank you. I needed this today
What a lovely meditation!
Love the spider web photo and analogy. I am trying to start a new book club in our neighborhood. Yes, I felt the meditation.
Oh my goodness! I love all of this. And we watched the Last Airbender with our 20 something daughters. Once we got over the parts that are clearly for middle school boys in the early episodes, we absolutely loved it. I was so sad when we watched the last episode. I could have happily watched 10 more seasons.
I love the idea of the 36. I’m fairly sure I’ve met a few of them, and they came in all shapes and sizes, a front-desk clerk at the Denver Marriott Southeast, a fellow special needs mom in Philly, a Ukrainian housekeeper in her 30’s. I believe we are blessed by others in so many ways, though often we’re unaware.
So good and so true. I love the hidden beauty of this world. It is so much easier to see in nature and feels like it takes so much more work to see in other people. But the hard work is worth it.
Just after reading this, I saw this comic…
https://substack.com/@incidentalcomics/note/c-51350152?r=b8sra&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
Thanks!
Be a Node.
These words today are so encouraging. I am part of a small coalition here in West Virginia that attempts to steer our Legislature away from harmful legislation. The Legislative session ended last night after a long 60 days. Thankfully, some of that harmful legislation did not pass though the possibility was there until midnight last night. These 60 days have been a time of encouragement and utter discouragement. I am moved to tears to think about the hidden goodness around us and the threads that connect us. The world feels a little brighter today.
Thank you for your faithful work in West Virginia. I know it can be so discouraging at the moment. I also live in a state with a super majority in the state legislature in which the most extreme voices have a lot of power to make unfair laws and policies. It takes the people of the state doing exactly what your coalition is doing, clearly and faithfully making our voices known and heard. And the more our voices are heard, the more join the coalition for a more fair and just system. Hang in there, you and your colleagues matter, your voices matter, your witness matters. All we need is nodes.